Over 1000 electricity consumers in
Onitsha metropolis , Anambra State and some rights’ groups, weekend, protested
over non- supply of pre-paid meters and alleged over billing by the Enugu
Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.
Those who partake in the
demonstration rally included the Onitsha South Elite Forum, OSEF, Concerned
Residents of Onitsha South, CRO; the Campaign for Democracy, CD, as well as the
International Human Rights and Equity Defence Foundation. This was even as the
head, communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Eze denied that the company was neither
involved in over billing of its customers or deliberately refused to supply
pre-paid meters saying that EEDC had committed over N10 billion towards the
provision of the latter.
Some Onitsha South youths with
placards marching along Zik Avenue Fegge during the Onitsha South residents
protest against EEDC for non-supply of prepaid meters and electricity, and
against the estimated billing method by the company.
The demonstrators blocked some major
roads including Zik’s Avenue, Orlu and Uga Streets, disrupting vehicular
movements as they chanted lamenting their sufferings as a result of non- supply
of electricity and pre-paid meters giving the EEDC 21 days ultimatum to provide
them with prepaid meters or stop coming to the area to transact any business.
Displaying placards with various inscriptions like, “we have endured EEDC’s cheating for a long time; we say enough is
enough; EEDC must provide us with prepaid meters; we say no to estimated
billing method; Our wives cook soup daily because of no light to preserve same;
We pay between N10,000 and N20,000 per flat monthly on estimated billing
method,” among others.
But,
a member of OSEF who also represents Onitsha South 1 Constituency in the Anambra
State House of Assembly, Hon. Patrick Aniuno, said “my people decided to embark on peaceful protest today to send a signal
to EEDC that they are tired of the cheating experienced at hands of the
company. Do you know that the whole of my constituency does not have prepaid
meters? They use estimated billing system to exploit us; whatever they like
they give us as estimated bills. Sometimes we may consume between N2000 and
N3000 electricity but at the end of the month they will bill us between N30, 000
and N40,000 which is outrageous. “We have been complaining for so long that
they should provide prepaid meters. We are ready to buy, they should come and
install them so we can pay for what we consume and not for what we did not
consume. We are sick and tired of their cheating methods.”
National Publicity Secretary and
Chairman, South East Zone of CD Mr Uzor A. Uzor, and his campaign/publicity
officer, Comrade Obi Ifediora, in his comments, however, threatened to mobilize
the entire South East states to protest against EEDC if the pre-paid meters
were not provided after 21 days. “This is
a general problem in the whole of South East; there is no light anywhere in
this part of the country. The people celebrated Christmas and New Year without
light and the situation has not changed since then; instead it is getting
worse,” they said.
The CRO in a petition to the
managing director of EEDC, Enugu, entitled, “Black out in Onitsha South: Crazy estimated billing, failure/refusal
or neglect to procure and install pre-paid meters signed by Mr. Noel
Udeoji, and copied to the Acting Chairman of NERC, Dr Anthony Akah, said close
to 10,000 high rise buildings as well as bungalows have for over one month not
been supplied with electricity in Fegge area. “We are proposing only two issues
for determination, we are asking why the on-going Credit Advanced Payment for
Metering Implementation, CAPMI was suspended and can EEDC explain why it has
chosen to make estimated billings the norm applicable to majority of residents
instead of being an exception in special circumstances?” Udeoji added.
However, reacting to the
allegations, EEDC’s Emeka Eze said, “We
do not bill our customers arbitrarily. We bill according to NERC guidelines.
However, we advise our customers who issued issued with their bills to visit
our Customer Service Desk at our District Office or service centres. On the
issue of pre-paid meters, we are committed to metering all our customers and
this is already happening. “With a metering gap of over 700,000 customers there
is no way we can meter all at the same time. Metering is capital intensive and
funding is a key challenge. Our customers should exercise patience as we have
metered a greater percentage of our Maximum Demand, MD, customers and have also
commenced metering of our individual /residential customer.”
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